SoTL Foundations Program for Graduate Students

The scholarship of teaching and learning, or SoTL, is research-based inquiry by disciplinary experts at the post-secondary level who seek to understand or improve student learning, and the teaching practices that facilitate that learning.

Through a series of discussion-based sessions focused on brief foundational SoTL readings,* attending short workshops, and developing a basic SoTL plan, participants in this graduate student** program will learn about scholarly, evidence-based approaches to student learning and to their own teaching.

Facilitated by Dr. Kiara Mikita (Postdoctoral Scholar, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), the SoTL Foundations Program for Graduate Students aims to help participants learn to:

Describe SoTL as a field and as a practice, emphasizing its key concepts, questions, and scholars,
Use SoTL to begin asking meaningful questions about their own disciplinary teaching and learning experiences, and
Develop a basic SoTL plan by identifying a meaningful question and appropriate methods for answering it.

Graduate students who complete this one-semester Program will be prepared to support, collaborate on, and/or conduct SoTL projects (e.g., as co-applicants or RAs on University of Calgary Teaching and Learning Grants)

Criteria for Completion

To complete the SoTL Foundations Program, participants must complete the following sequence within one semester:***

Activities	Fall 2018 Dates	Winter 2019 Dates
Prepare for and participate in *any four* of the six scheduled reading discussion group sessions*. (Through the registration system, participants will be supplied with a journal article or book chapter prior to each session.*)	September 20 - From Teaching to Learning October 4 - Teaching Problems and SoTL October 18 - Signature Pedagogies November 1 - Guiding Principles in SoTL November 22 - Asking SoTL Questions December 6 - SoTL's Multiplicity	January 22 - From Teaching to Learning February 5 - Teaching Problems and SoTL March 5 - Signature Pedagogies March 19 - Guiding Principles in SoTL April 2- Asking SoTL Questions April 16 - SoTL's Multiplicity
Participate in 3 SoTL workshops at the Taylor Institute.	the Introduction to SoTL workshop and any two of the following workshops: Ethics and SoTL Aligning Research Questions and Design in SoTL Students as Partners in SoTL Planning Your SoTL Project	the Introduction to SoTL workshop and any two of the following workshops: Ethics and SoTL Aligning Research Questions and Design in SoTL Students as Partners in SoTL Planning Your SoTL Project
Develop a brief plan for a SoTL project with an explanation of how it draws upon the readings and discussion groups attended.	Due date TBA	Due date TBA

Those who complete the SoTL Foundations Program for Graduate Students will submit a Badge Application Form (specific to the semester in which the badge requirements are completed) and receive a digital badge issued by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning. The digital badge may be displayed on online portfolios, on social media such as Twitter and LinkedIn, and elsewhere.

* Through the registration system, participants will be supplied with a journal article or book chapter prior to each session.

** Although this program is designed for graduate students, we will consider undergraduate students on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Dr. Kiara Mikita (kkokita@ucalgary.ca) with any requests.

*** Questions regarding the requirements and timing of the SoTL Foundations Program completion may be directed to Dr. Kiara Mikita (kkokita@ucalgary.ca).

Criteria for Completion

Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning

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